Disposable denture container

ABSTRACT

A disposable container adapted for a single daily use for storing and cleaning dentures when not worn is disclosed. The container, which is particularly suitable for use in hospitals and nursing institutions as well as at home, is characterized as being disposable after a single use, of simple, convenient but elegant construction. inexpensive and sanitary, and carrying its own individual supply of cleanser.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Denture containers for storing dentures when not in use, e.g. at night,are generally well known. While not intended to be a comprehensivesurvey of the art, the following patents may nevertheless be taken asrepresentative.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,122,583 issued to Parizot discloses a holder in theshape of a bottom plate adapted to clamp about a denture to hold itfirmly in place when inserted in a closed container having a liquiddentifrice, so that the container can be shook for cleaning actionwithout damaging the denture.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,163,862 of Wing relates to a holder for dentures orother articles wherein a perforated receptacle appends from thecontainer lid. The denture can be placed in the receptacle and thenimmersed in a cleaning liquid, thereby satisfying the stated objectiveof permitting cleaning while "avoiding to a considerable extent soilingof the fingers."

In U.S. Pat. No. 2,375,645 issued to Gordon, a dental plate container isdisclosed which provides "protective safety and sanitary protection." InCol. 1. the need is discussed for a portable container of thisdescription, noting that may wearers have to keep their plates at nightin water in an open glass or container. As best seen in FIG. 2. thepatented container is designed to hold both upper and lower plates.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,444,204 issued to Jones teaches a dental plate containerhaving an adjustable holder for securely engaging the dental plate. InCol. 2 it is mentioned that the inside of the container lid may beprovided with an absorbent pad which can be saturated with a germicidalfluid.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,541,595 of Marshall et al discloses a denture containerwhich is leak-proof for safely and inconspicuously storing dentures. Thecontainer has a basket-like perforated inset in which the denture isplaced. The container is filled with water or a dental solution and theinset then placed in the container.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,565,899 issued to Wilcox teaches a portable cleaningdevice for artificial dentures, in which the denture may be firmly heldwithin an enclosure containing a cleaning solution while manuallyimparting vigorous agitating movement to the container and solution. Athreaded adjustable dental support is disposed within the container. Inuse, the support is adjusted to the proper elevation for the denture.Cleaning is effected by adding cleaning fluid and shaking.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,620,919 of Passmore relates to portable containers fordentures and the like which are said to be characterized by theirsimplicity, durability, low cost and convenience. The container isdesigned to protect against breakage if dropped and from contaminationfrom both internal and external bacteria. It consists of two sectionswhich together form a ball having cushioning bodies on the inside. Sincethe container is clearly not adapted for cleaning, Applicant does notunderstand the statement about protection from "internal bacteria".

U.S. Pat. No. 2,973,767 of Cohen describes a denture container whichretains water and acts as a container for a toothbrush also. Itcomprises an arrangement of elements including, in order, a maincontainer, an auxiliary container, a cover, a denture holder and anothercover. The container will store dentures of different sizes along with acleaning fluid.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,973 issued to Crawford relates to a combined denturecase and brush. After cleaning, the denture can be soaked in a cleaningreceptacle of the container and the brush cleaned and reinserted in abrush receptacle of the container until the next cleaning.

Finally. U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,855 of Jackson relates to a denture powerwasher having a denture cleaner storage compartment housing a drycleaner. The power washer has a washer container, a lid within which thedenture cleaner storage compartment is situated, and a drain at thebottom of the container. For purposes of illustration, the dry cleanserin the storage compartment is shown to be a tablet. In use, the lid isremoved and a denture placed in the container. The washer is then placedunder a faucet to initially rinse off the denture. The cover is thenremoved from the cleanser storage compartment and the chemical cleanseris deposited within the container. The lid and cover are then reappliedand the washer inverted and filled to a given level with water throughthe drain at the bottom. It is left inverted for soaking. The lid isthen removed and the denture rinsed under flowing water to complete thewashing cycle.

Despite the state of the art with respect to denture containers, asillustrated by the above-mentioned patents, there is still a great needfor an inexpensive container for storing and cleaning dentures and whichcan be discarded after a single use.

The task of this invention, stated simply, is to provide a denturecontainer of the foregoing description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this invention the task is solved by providing athrow-away container consisting of a bottom member and a cover member ofthe general configuration of a denture and which are adapted to receivefor storage therebetween a full set of dentures, the bottom memberhaving means for receiving a dentifrice, and a dentifrice in solid formfor cleaning the denture when water is added being disposed in thedentifrice receiving means of the bottom member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing the top and bottom members of thepreferred denture container of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the bottom member shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3,3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of the top member shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the top member; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Healthy people living at home who wear dentures generally take them outat night before they go to sleep. Typically, the dentures are placed ina glass or other receptacle at bedside or in the bathroom, assuming theyare not simply placed on a shelf or other article in the bathroom. Aswill be readily understood, such placement of the denture when not wornis not sanitary. The denture should not be placed in the mouth againwithout cleaning with a cleanser including a bactericide such as thosecommercially available. e.g. "EFFERDENT" (trademark of Warner-Lambert)and "POLlDENT" (trademark of Block Drug). Additionally, if placed in aglass or the like container which is not cleaned after each use, theglass becomes a breeding ground for bacteria as well as possessing anunplesant odor. Moreover, the unpleasant task is presented for cleaningthe receptacle which usually is both filmy and grimy.

These problems are of a magnitude greater when one considers the sickand the aged in nursing homes and medical care institutions. Unable toattend to their own personal needs, the dentures will generally sit atbedside, on a table or in a glass, unless the person is attended todaily by family or by a staff member able to attend to their personalneeds. Moreover, staff members or others attending to the personal needsof the incapacitated sick and aged are extremely reluctant to cleantheir receptacles for dentures, let alone those of others. This isparticularly true in the light of the current well-known health problems

It is to these concerns that the present invention is directed.

The nature and objects of the invention may best be understood byreference to the accompanying illustrative drawings taken in conjunctionwith the following detailed description.

As shown in FIGS. 1-5, the denture container has separate top and bottommembers 10 and 12, respectively, in the shape of a denture.

Top member 12, adapted to fit over the bottom member 10 to confine thedenture(s) therebetween, has a straight vertical wall 14 element, acurved vertical wall element 16 and a cover or lid 18. The curvedvertical wall element 16 extends from one side edge of the vertical wallelement 14 to the other. Wall elements 14 and 16, which define the shapeof the top member are joined to each other and to the periphery of cover18. While cover 18 may, if desired, be substantially planar inconfiguration, for esthetic reasons only it is shown to comprise aplanar surface 20 and an embossed floral design portion 22 which isillustrated to be in the form of a daisy.

Bottom member 14 is of substantially the same shape as top member 12,but is of slightly smaller dimensions to permit the top member 12 toslide over at least a portion of the depth of the bottom member. Bottommember 14 has a base element 24 on which the denture is adapted to beseated. Like the top member 12, it has a straight vertical wall element30 and a curved vertical wall element 32 extending from one side edge ofthe straight vertical wall element 30 to the other. The wall elements 30and 32 are joined to each other and to the base element 24. For ease ofmounting the top member over the bottom member, the upstanding orstraight vertical wall element 30 of the bottom member 14 is preferablyslanted inwardly, as seen in FIG. 3.

The base element 14 is provided with an annular upstanding rim element26 defining a space 28 (herein characterized as a "well") for receivinga solid water-soluble dentifrice for cleaning the denture. Thedentifrice is preferably in the form of a table 34, as shown in FIGS. 1and 6. However, it will be appreciated that it can also be in the formof small discrete particles. In any case, space 28 should preferably besubstantially centrally disposed on base element 24. In the preferredform, rim 26 should be at least as thick as the tablet confinedtherebetween. Accordingly, it follows that the tablet should be as thinas possible.

Since the novel denture container of this invention is intended to bediscarded after a single use, the top and bottom members forming thedenture container will preferably be made of a suitable inexpensiveplastic material such as polyvinyl chloride, a polyolefin such aspolyethylene, styrene, etc. It may be transparent or opaque, e.g.colored, according to individual choice. While some users prefer thetransparent form so that the dentures are visible within the container,others find the sight of the dentures to be objectionable. Materials ofthe foregoing description suitable for making the container will bereadily apparent in the light of this description and their selectionmay be a matter of individual choice. Accordingly, the materials to beused per se comprise no part of this invention.

In like manner, the method of manufacture per se comprises no part ofthis invention. They may, for example, be made by known injectionmolding techniques.

While the denture containers and dentifrices to be incorporated thereinmay if desired be separately packaged, in the preferred embodimentcontemplated by this invention, they will be packaged for sale with adentifrice in each denture container. In this manner, the users willhave at their disposal for convenience of use one or a plurality of thecontainers, each with its individual dentifrice supply and ready for usecleaning and storing the dentures.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the invention wherein like elementsare numbered the same. The embodiment of FIG. 6 differs essentially fromthe one described above and shown in FIGS. 1-5 only that the top andbottom members are hinged together at 38 to provide a unitary elementrather than one where the respective elements are separable. Preferablyhinge 38 as shown in FIG. 6 is a living hinge provided by molding thecontainer as a single element from a flexible polymeric material.So-called living hinges are of course well known and may for example beslightly thinner than the rest of the container to maximize flexibilityfor moving the members from an open position for inserting the dentureto a closed position for storage.

The bottom member 12 in either embodiment should be of the general shapeof the denture and will of course possess sufficient dimensions toaccommodate the denture. The depth of the bottom member should be suchthat when water is added to solubilize the dentifrice, the denturecontained therein will be submerged for cleaning.

By way of illustration. The straight vertical wall element 30 may be onthe order of 3.25 to 3.50 inches from one side edge to the other; thedistance from the straight wall element to the center or tip of thecurved vertical wall member 32 (as measured from the center of element30 in a line perpendicular to element 30 and extending to element 32)may be on the order of 3.00 to 3.25 inches; and the vertical walls mayextend on the order of 1.75 to 2.00 inches from the base 24 on which thedenture is to be seated. The rim 26 may be on the order of one-eight tothree sixteenth of an inch high and provide a well or space 28therebetween on the order of five-eighths to one inch in diameter.

In use, the denture may first be rinsed after removal from the mouth andthen placed within element 12. (If a dentifrice is not initiallyprovided within the container, it will be appreciated that it should beseated within space 28 before inserting the dentifrice.) Water is thenadded at a level to submerge the denture and the top member 10positioned over the bottom member to close the container.

From the foregoing discussion it will thus be seen that the presentinvention provides an elegant means for storing and cleaning dentures.According to the invention, an inexpensive throw-away container havingits own one-time supply of dentifrice is provided. While it finds greatutility in the home, it is particularly useful in nursing homes,hospitals and other institutions for the sick and the aged who at bestare capable of only minimal personal care.

It will be appreciated that the denture containers of this invention arecapable of various modifications without departing from the scope of theinvention herein contemplated.

For example, in lieu of providing a single well containing dentifrice,as described above and shown in the drawings, a plurality of such wellsmay be disposed in spaced relationship along base 24. Additionally,while these wells have been described has being essentially in the sameplane as base 24, they may instead be recessed or an intaglio providedby stamping base 24. As heretofore alluded to, the wells may containdentifrice in pellet, powder, or other solid form rather than astablets. While the rim defining the well for receiving the dentifrice isshown to be annular in configuration, it will be appreciated that it mayinstead be of any desired shape.

The cover of the top member has been shown in its preferred form asbeing embossed in a floral design depicting a daisy. An artificial daisyof like shape may be contained within the recess so provided on theinside of the cover or otherwise removably situated within thecontainer. Other designs on the cover are also contemplated or,alternatively, the cover may simply be planar.

Since certain changes may be made without departing from the scope ofthe invention herein contemplated, is intended that all matter shown inthe drawings or described hereinabove be interpreted as beingillustrative and not in a limited sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A holder for cleaning and storing dentures and having a denture contained therein, comprising,a disposable container for storing and cleaning a denture comprising superposed bottom and top members of the general configuration of a denture and which are adapted to receive for storage therebetween a full set of dentures, the bottom member having a base element and vertical wall means defining the periphery of the bottom member, the vertical wall means of the bottom member extending from the base element and being secured to the base element, the top member having a cover element and vertical wall means defining the periphery of the top member, the wall means of the top member extending from the cover element and being secured thereto, the superposed top and bottom members forming a closed chamber in which a denture can be stored and cleaned, the base element of the bottom member having a well disposed therein for retaining a water-soluble dentifrice in solid form; a denture seated on the base element of the bottom member over the well; and an aqueous medium filling the well and at least part of the rest of the bottom member to dissolve a dentifrice contained therein to form a dentifrice solution submerging the denture seated on the base element of the bottom member.
 2. A holder as defined in claim 1 wherein the vertical wall means of the top member comprises a straight vertical wall element having opposed side edges and a curved vertical wall element extending from one of the side edges of the straight vertical wall element to the other side edge of the straight vertical wall element, the vertical wall elements being joined to each other and to the cover element of the top member.
 3. A holder as defined in claim 2 wherein the cover is embossed in a floral design.
 4. A holder as defined in claim 1 wherein the cover element is substantially planar.
 5. A holder as defined in claim 1 wherein the bottom member is of slightly smaller dimensions than the top member.
 6. A holder as defined in claim 1 wherein the top and bottom members are separable.
 7. A holder as defined in claim 1 wherein the top and bottom members are hinged together as a unitary structure with the top member being pivotable to an open position for removing the denture and emptying the dentifrice solution contained in the holder.
 8. A holder as defined in claim 7 wherein the top and bottom members are hinged together by a living hinge. .Iadd.
 9. A holder for cleaning and storing dentures and having a denture contained therein consisting of:a disposable container for storing and cleaning the denture having the general configuration of the denture and which is adapted to contain a full set of dentures, the container having a base element and vertical wall means defining the periphery of the container, the vertical wall means extending from the base element to define an open top for receiving and removing the denture from the container, the wall means being secured to the base element, the base element having a well disposed therein for retaining a water-soluble dentifrice in solid form; a denture seated on the base element over the well; and an aqueous medium filling the well and at least a substantial part of the container to dissolve a dentifrice contained in the well to form a dentifrice solution submerging the denture seated on the base element of the container. .Iaddend. .Iadd.10. A holder for cleaning and storing a denture as defined in claim 9 wherein the vertical wall means comprise a straight vertical wall element having opposed side edges and a curved vertical wall element extending from one of the side edges of the straight wall element to the other side edge of the straight vertical wall element, the vertical wall elements being joined to one another and to the base element. .Iaddend. 